Music Reviews

Music Reviews From The July Issue

Chris Fairbanks

Do you still think Dane Cook is funny? Me neither, there are however thousand of other comedians who are in fact, funny. David Cross, Maria Bamford, and Patton Oswalt are very funny, and so is Chris Fairbanks. On his new live disc, Chris Fairbanks unleashes his brand of Tourette syndrome, quick-hitting, weird, and wonderful comedy on a San Francisco crowd who is as pleased with his humor as you will be when you listen to his set. I set out to listen to this disc for two-minutes and get back to work—45 minutes later I was still laughing my ass off. Wanna laugh? Are you a fan of the above comedians I listed? Buy this disc at chrisfairbanks.com—it’s simple.

BLK JKS

ZOL!
Secretly Canadian

Album out June 8th, 2010.

This South African world-beat freakfest is just what the witch doctor ordered. BLK JKS manages to mix kwaito beats and bass lines with heavily distorted guitars, trippy vocal chants, and an overall danceable groove that will no doubt get your ass shaking to the jams. This funky-ass band wants to take your party to the next level with its Afro-beat, rock-infused, dance-party disc. Fans of Femi Kuti, Vampire Weekend, and, !!! will be psyched to jam out to BLK JKS and especially this new EP—which will no doubt become the celebratory CD of choice for fans attending the World Cup in South Africa this summer.

Yeasayer

Yeasayer has slightly abandoned its Middle Eastern tribal backbeats and replaced them with futuristic yet retro (does that make sense?) 80s synths and whimsical genre-blending dance tracks—that is of course if you are on acid while dancing, which I think the band was when they created this new sound. Standout tracks “Ambling Alp” and “Love Me Girl” are tripped-out dance jams for the future. The layered and passionate singing style that every Yeasayer fan loves is still here, and better than ever. At first listen, I dismissed this disc as too weird, but my own weirdness has caught up with it and now I absolutely love it!

Future Islands

I was immediately drawn to the stylistic sounds of Future Islands the second I put this disc in my stereo. Blending synth sensibilities with passionate vocals and driving electro-beats, this band gives a new and positive spin on the Joy Division-style resurgence of the last half-decade. Sharing a similar sound as bands like White Lies, The Boxer Rebellion, and Editors, Future Islands has made an album that offers a complete audio experience from first track to final note. This band will be media darlings and festival mainstays any day now.

Iggy And The Stooges

First released in 1973, Raw Power basically took a fistful of pure rock music and punched you in the gut with it. Iggy And The Stooges are hailed as one of the first actual “punk” bands exemplifying everything the punk ethos stood for. The Raw Power: Legacy Edition comes complete with the original disc (mastered by David Bowie and Iggy Pop) remastered and sounding as raw and as punk as ever. It also includes a one-hour live show and a 24-page booklet filled with unseen photos and liner notes. If you already have this disc, buy it again; if you don’t own Raw Power, give your stereo to someone who cares and cut your ears off.